Doha, October 17 (QNA) - Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, today opened the second edition of the MENA Microbiome Conference 2026 in Doha, bringing together leading researchers, physicians, scientists, industry experts, partners, and sponsors to explore the latest advances in microbiome science and their potential applications in healthcare.

Held under the theme "From Biomarkers Discovery to Microbiota-based Therapeutics," the first day focused on the role of the microbiome in women's and children's health, precision nutrition, and innovative therapeutic strategies, highlighting the potential of microbiome research to improve disease prevention and treatment.

Women's and infant health was a central focus of the first day, with scientific discussions examining how the microbiome influences reproductive health, pregnancy outcomes, and early infant development.

Conference Co-Chairs, Dr. Souhaila Al Khodor and Dr. Annalisa Terranega presented research on the role of microbial genomics in maternal and child health and precision nutrition. Their key sessions highlighted how the maternal microbiome contributes to an infant's microbial development during the first 1,000 days of life as well as the role of breast milk microbiome in infant health and the impact of pregnancy complications on early interactions between the immune system and microbiome. The potential of precision nutrition to reduce pregnancy complications by influencing the gut microbiome and placental gene expression was also presented.

The Conference Co-chairs said: "We are immensely proud to organize and host the Middle East's first conference dedicated to Microbiome health. Through the MENA Microbiome Conference 2026, Sidra Medicine continues to advance scientific collaboration and support research that could contribute to more personalized healthcare for women and children in Qatar and the wider region."

MENA Microbiome also featured discussions on the role of the microbiome in women's reproductive health, including how hormonal changes influence microbial communities and their potential connection to reproductive conditions, as highlighted by Dr. Jia Xu.

Other sessions focused on advances in pediatric microbiome research, with Dr. Nikhil Pai addressing the clinical applications, safety considerations, and infrastructure needed for pediatric donor stool banks, while Prof. Mamoun Elawad from Sidra Medicine discussed the role of nutrition and the gut microbiome in pediatric organ transplantation and its potential impact on patient outcomes.

A key highlight of the first day was the announcement of QMicrobe, an initiative aimed at establishing Qatar's first dedicated pediatric donor stool bank for therapeutic research. The program, led by Dr. Souhaila Al Khodor, will combine carefully screened donor samples, clinical assessments, advanced metagenomic sequencing, and computational analysis to identify microorganisms with potential therapeutic value.

Supported through a Joint Funding Call program by Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council and the Ministry of Public Health, QMicrobe aims to strengthen Qatar's microbiome research capabilities and support future therapeutic development. It will also help establish standardized research protocols and create opportunities for collaboration across healthcare, academia, and biotechnology.

Dr. Souhaila Al Khodor, Director of the Reproductive and Perinatal Health Translational Research Program and Principal Investigator at Sidra Medicine said: "By establishing a collection of samples from carefully screened healthy pediatric donors, QMicrobe will provide researchers with a resource to investigate microorganisms and microbial functions with potential therapeutic value. The initiative could support future research into metabolic disorders, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, infections, and certain neurodevelopmental conditions."

QMicrobe will be done in collaboration with Dr. Majdi Osman, Physician Scientist from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Dr. Osman's session at MENA Microbiome addressed advances in fecal microbiota transplantation and emerging microbial therapies. He also discussed current clinical applications, ongoing research, and the opportunities and challenges involved in developing microbiome-based treatments.

Dr. Majdi Osman said: "It is an honour to support the launch of QMicrobe alongside Sidra Medicine's scientific leadership. Microbiota banks are the foundation of microbiome therapeutic and diagnostic development. Pediatrics remains a neglected area, yet it is where the opportunity to change health outcomes across the life course is greatest, and Qatar's unique population diversity makes this the right place to build it." 

While QMicrobe will initially focus on establishing research infrastructure and demonstrating feasibility, its long-term goal is to support the development of microbiome-based therapies and future clinical studies in Qatar. The initiative will also help generate locally relevant research data reflecting Qatar's diverse population.

Day 1 also spotlighted a new study by Sidra Medicine, investigating how the type of fat a mother eats during pregnancy shapes her child's brain development, and whether it influences the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The study, led by Dr. Annalisa Terranegra in collaboration with Oxford University's Wellcome - Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), is a result of a grant awarded to Dr. Terranegra by the Waterloo Foundation in the UK.

Dr. Terranegra said: "Neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, are a significant public health concern in Qatar, and the country has made this a national priority through the Qatar Foundation's Autism Strategy 2025–2035. Our project directly supports that strategy by addressing prevention and early identification, not only treatment, through a modifiable factor: maternal nutrition during pregnancy."

Dr. Terranegra's team's approach to the research is being conducted through an observational mother-baby cohort by measuring the effect of maternal fatty acid (FA) intake on placental epigenetic modifications, cord blood FA levels, infant neurodevelopment and gut microbiota at five time-points (birth, and 1, 6, 12 and 18 months postpartum). This will then be validated in Sidra Medicine's Zebrafish facility where the lab will test different FA diets and their effects on neurodevelopment in larvae and juvenile offspring.

The expected outcome of the research is to develop precision nutrition and evidence-based dietary guidance that will help identify the exact FA type that will allow precise nutritional recommendations for pregnant women in place of general advice. This will also define the FA that will support supplements designed to reduce NDD risk.

With dietary patterns in the Gulf shifting toward high-fat, Westernized diets, it is expected that the findings will also be directly relevant to neighbouring countries. Results from the cohort, validated mechanistically in zebrafish, will be applicable to populations worldwide. (QNA)